House GOP fights back against mask, metal detector fines | TheHill - 0 views
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GOP lawmakers are doing everything they can to avoid paying fines for running afoul of rules imposed by Democrats that require masks and security screenings before entering the House chamber.
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At least six Republicans have been fined in recent days for protesting the House floor mask requirement, adding to five others since February who were penalized for failing to complete security screenings.
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Lawmakers can appeal the fines to the House Ethics Committee, which so far has upheld metal detector penalties against two Republicans and dropped two others against Rep. Hal RogersHarold (Hal) Dallas RogersHouse GOP fights back against mask, metal detector fines Sixth House member issued ,000 security screening fine House Ethics panel to drop K metal detector fines against Clyburn, Rogers MORE (R-Ky.) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
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he hefty monetary enforcements are yet another example of the distrust that has deepened since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Democrats say they can't count on certain Republicans to abide by safety measures, while GOP lawmakers argue the fines are an unnecessary power grab by the House majority.
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The rules state that the fines will be deducted from the offending lawmaker’s salary and can’t be paid for with office budget or campaign funds
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Mast further argued that the fine was unconstitutional and “unenforceable,” citing in part the Constitution’s 27th Amendment that prohibits any change in the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until after the next election.
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While Mast, Miller-Meeks and Norman have all confirmed they are fully vaccinated, the other Republicans fined for going maskless have either declined to disclose their vaccination status or openly said they aren’t vaccinated.
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The Capitol’s attending physician, Brian Monahan, explained in a memo that masks are still required in the House chamber unless members are recognized to speak during debate because it is “the only location where the entire Membership gathers periodically throughout the day in an interior space.”
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Democrats also felt they had to impose fines to compel enforcement of security screenings enacted in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot after several Republicans refused to go through newly installed metal detectors outside the House chamber.
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Democrats defending the penalties argue that rules enforcing metal detector screenings or masks enforce what they believe is ultimately a minor inconvenience.